This post does contain affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here.

A few months ago I read Teal Paisley Tights which was a book about a woman in her late twenties and looking for a change in her life. I wanted more books about younger-ish women who are fighting for what they want, breaking the mold of their life, and living the life they desire. I got all of that in If I Can Make It Here by Jamie Rose.

If I Can Make It Here is all about Madeline, who quits her job and moves to New York, a city that she loves, for an internship. She doesn't know how everything is going to play out, but she knows that she has to take a chance. Madeline loves the city and is so excited to be living there, and even though not everyone in her new office is supportive of her, she really wants to make it in her new life.

Madeline really annoyed me at the beginning of the book. I didn't love her personality or why she did some of the things that she did. Even though I didn't like her much at first, I appreciated the fact that she was a flawed character. I feel that all too often in contemporary books we get these characters who are perfect in almost every way that it's completely unrealistic. But Madeline felt realistic (and maybe that's why she annoyed me, because I saw some things that I don't love about myself in her.)

Madeline grows A LOT in this book. She was annoying to me in the beginning, but by the end, I really liked who she had become. It wasn't a huge change either, it was subtle, realistic, and fun to read about. I really liked Madeline as a main character and I also really liked the love interest, how he pushed her and protected her.

There were parts of the book that were a little slow. I haven't ever read a book about someone who works in the film industry/marketing industry for film and the events that Madeline is a part of were fun to read about. I also loved the Halloween party.

Madeline also has anxiety. And while I didn't *love* how she thought about her anxiety or dealt with it, I'm glad that it was talked about. Anxiety and other mental illnesses are real and I really do want to see them more in books. I didn't love that she drank to essentially numb her anxiety. I don't drink, but I use other things to numb my anxiety at times, but it isn't a solution that works. And anxiety doesn't just go away when you are in a relationship, just like any other illness it takes work to learn coping skills and live with a mental illness. So, some of how her anxiety was handled, by her and others, I didn't really connect with or like but as the book went on, this also got a bit better.

I really enjoyed If I Can Make It Here and if you're looking for a good contemporary with romance and characters who grow, I definitely recommend it! I gave it 3.5/5 stars.

About If I Can Make It Here

Is it too late for coffee or too early for wine? That’s a question Madeline Burke has come to ask herself all too often. She needs a change, and a big one at that.

Coming into her late 20s, she finally finds the courage to pull herself out of a boring 9-to-5 life in Texas and launch the exciting new career she’s always dreamed about. Thanks to a little chutzpah and some quick thinking, she has landed an internship working in film publicity in New York City. It’s her favorite city in the world, concrete jungle where dreams are made…or crushed. The prospect is both exciting and intimidating for a woman with an ambitious work ethic and a pesky anxiety problem. What could possibly go wrong?

As Madeline goes behind the velvet ropes of movie premieres and celebrity press tours, she finds out what really happens after the cameras flash. Navigating her way through splashy scandals, inflated egos, romantic entanglements, and impossible office demands has her catching her breath behind one too many bathroom stall doors.

The hectic and fast-paced reality that is her new life has her questioning whether or not she has what it takes to stick it out. She decides it is up to her and her alone to make it in New York City.

As the saying goes, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere…right?

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase I will receive a small commission. You can view my full disclosure here. Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis was the Book Lovers Book Club (my book club) pick for the month of January. I originally started reading GWYF back in November, but life got busy and it was put on hold for a few months. I originally had it checked out from the library, but after reading the first few chapters I was hooked. So I bought my own copy. Up until I purchased my own copy of Girl, Wash Your Face, I'd heard only good things about it. This book is very hyped. And I'm always curious to know why books are hyped which is often why I pick them up. But, as soon as I had my own copy in my hand, I started seeing some reviews that weren't quite so positive.

I always go into self-help/personal growth books with an open mind. So when I started Girl, Wash Your Face I did the same thing.

The reviews that I had seen talked a lot about how Rachel talks about being a Christain woman and then talks a lot about doing everything yourself in her book. (Like how you're in charge of what happens in your life, and I actually agree with that. I do think that God gives us guidance but He also gave us the opportunity to make our own choices.) But I also saw a lot about how what she was saying wasn't 100% great for everyone because most of us aren't white, extremely successful females who have our own very successful businesses. I took these thoughts with a grain of salt and was determined to have my own opinion as I read Girl, Wash Your Face. I am glad that I kept an open mind because overall I really did enjoy reading Girl, Wash Your Face. Rachel talks about the different lies that we tell ourselves as women and what we *can* do instead. I write it like that because she's not telling us what we should do. She's sharing her experience and inviting us to try what worked for her, or learn from her example and try things that we know will work better for us. While I don't agree with everything in Girl, Wash Your Face I enjoyed reading it. It was an easy read and I especially liked the chapter about the lie "I should be further along by now" because I have been feeling that way a lot recently. I loved how in every chapter Rachel debunked the lies that we often tell ourselves and how we can combat them. I recommend reading this if you want a fun personal growth book! I gave it 3.5/5 stars.

Hi friends, Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Return of the Song by Phyllis Clark Nichols, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! Today I'll be sharing my book review for Return of the Song as well as some info about the book and a giveaway!

The things I liked about Return of the Song

I really enjoyed Caroline. She was still processing the grief of losing her fiance even though it's been years. She has a passion for the piano, both playing it and teaching others how to play and I loved that. I myself love to play the piano and it's always fun to read a book when the main character has similar passions to you!There was a bit of a mystery (actually 2) threaded throughout this book. First, one day Caroline is at home and someone starts playing her piano, but runs away before she can see them! What? I'd be freaked out if someone was in my house playing the piano, but this made me want to keep reading because I wanted to know who had been in her home (and playing a song that only Caroline knew!) There was another mystery about who had the childhood piano that Caroline played and the man who had purchased it. She'd love to play it again but he doesn't want to sell, but it was interesting to see it all play out!

Things that I didn't love about Return of the Song

The pacing was pretty slow and I skimmed a bit of the middle just because I wanted to find out what happened, but there just seemed to be a lot of dialogue in the middle that didn't seem to move the plot forward.But, even though it was slow I really loved the last 100 pages or so. This is the first book in a series and I can see now that a lot of the beginning and middle were leading up to the next book. I did wish there had been a little more to happen in the first half, but I really liked the ending and it made me excited for the next book.

Overall I did enjoy Return of the Song and I liked the ending and the little bit of romance that was in the book! I gave Return of the Song 3.5/5 stars. I received a copy of Return of the Song from JustReads Tours and the publisher in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK

return of the song

Title: Return of the SongSeries: The Rockwater Suite #1Author: Phyllis Clark NicholsPublisher: Gilead PublishingRelease Date: September 18, 2018Genre: Contemporary Women’s FictionWhen Caroline lost her love, she lost the music too.Caroline Carlyle's dreams were crushed when her fiancé died six weeks before their wedding. For years she wrestled with aching loss and shattered faith, struggling to find the inspiration that once came so easily. Abandoning her half-finished piano compositions, Caroline trades her old ambitions for the comfort and familiarity of life as the town’s piano teacher.But Caroline's world turns upside down when a mysterious stranger enters her life. Filled with courage and fresh purpose, Caroline embarks on a quest to track down the beloved, rare piano she played as a child. Her search leads her to Rockwater, the Kentucky estate of a wealthy gentleman, where Caroline finds her heart may be composing a surprising new song.PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Christian Book | Book Depository

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Phyllis Clark Nichols’s character-driven Southern fiction explores profound human questions using the imagined residents of small town communities you just know you’ve visited before. With a strong faith and a love for nature, art, music, and ordinary people, she tells redemptive tales of loss and recovery, estrangement and connection, longing and fulfillment . . . often through surprisingly serendipitous events.Phyllis grew up in the deep shade of magnolia trees in South Georgia. Born during a hurricane, she is no stranger to the winds of change: In addition to her life as a novelist, Phyllis is a seminary graduate, concert pianist, and cofounder of a national cable network with health- and disability-related programming. Regardless of the role she’s playing, Phyllis brings creativity and compelling storytelling.She frequently appears at conventions, conferences, civic groups, and churches, performing half-hour musical monologues that express her faith, joy, and thoughts about life—all with the homespun humor and gentility of a true Southern woman.Phyllis currently serves on several nonprofit boards. She lives in the Texas Hill Country with her portrait-artist husband.CONNECT WITH PHYLLIS: website | Facebook | Twitter

return of the song blog giveaway

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive (US only)

a print copy of Christmas at Grey Sage

a print copy of Return of the Song

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight November 12, 2018 and last through 11:59pm November 19, 2018. US only. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

*I received Happier Thinking from the author exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

I LOVE books about Happiness.

If you know me at all, you'll know that in 2015 I read The Happiness Project for the first time and fell in love with Gretchen Rubin and all things 'happier.' While I don't agree with everything that Gretchen Rubin discusses, I found her books valuable to me and my life. When Lana reached out to me and asked if I wanted to read her book, Happier Thinking, I jumped at the chance! I love reading books about happiness, especially when they are written by people who aren't psychologists.

My Thoughts

Happier Thinking is a collection of short essays about how to be a happier thinker. I found them enjoyable and relatable. Happier Thinking was a quick read for me. Now that I've finished, there are a few tricks and tips that I want to try. Lana is honest in her book about how she's not a psychologist and she hasn't studied happiness more than the books she's read, and she shares what she's learned as well as her own experiences with mental health and things you can do to be happier.For a long time (before I was diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety) I thought that people with mental illnesses just needed to square their shoulders and think more positively and their problems would all go away. (Just thinking about this thought process makes me cringe.) But I had a rude awakening when I got home from my mission and realized that squaring my shoulders and thinking positively wasn't going to make my bad mental health days go away. With my own mental illness, my thinking has changed so much over the years and one thing I loved about Happier Thinking was that the author isn't giving a quick fix to help with mental health.The ideas in Happier Thinking are all doable action items. I agree with Lana when she talks about how these things can help. They don't take away depression or anxiety or PTSD, but they can help you think happier. Which I really loved and that's something I'm working on, to be a happier thinker.All in all, I gave the book 3.5/5 stars.

About Happier Thinking

Changing how you think is possible. I wasn't always so sure that was true until I experienced it myself, but I know now we don't have to just accept unhappiness. Not always anyway. This book is my collection of tips and suggestions that have helped me achieve happier thinking. It's sort of a gym for my mind. I'd love to tell you it was easier than the real gym but well… it's not really. It takes time, effort, and practice but it's absolutely well worth the rewards.